


cover up.

by razussy



Category: The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals - Team StarKid
Genre: Angst, F/F, Oneshot, Other, toxic parents, tws in desc
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-16
Updated: 2020-08-16
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:27:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25930582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/razussy/pseuds/razussy
Summary: there is a surprise visit to the fitzgerald home, and this brings stress to charlotte and doug.//TW; deadnaming, misgendering, implied homophobia.
Relationships: Charlotte/Doug (The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 4





	cover up.

**Author's Note:**

> fc for the dad is joe walker; fc for the mom is jamie burnsey. again, tw for deadnaming, misgendering, and possible homophobia

it was friday, the cool breeze of late summer signaling that fall was among the town. for reasons she still is not aware of, charlotte received an email earlier that morning work was called off for everyone in the office — the technical branch was sent small, different files to work on for the day then sent back to prove they did it.  
she didn't know if it would go toward anything, though she was able to get hers done in only a few hours; the rest of the afternoon free to do whatever.

she spent the time sitting on the back porch, knitting until her heart's content. nothing in particular was in mind, she assumed she'd end up making another sweater for doug considering the cold was coming soon. charlotte smiled to herself as she worked her hands, enjoying the sight of her materials coming together nice and tight — she loves all sorts of arts and crafts, if that wasn't already obvious from her collection of creations by her and others. the quietness of the outdoors had been disturbed when she heard faint music coming from inside the house, and what she assumed was her partner singing along.

see, this wouldn’t have bothered her on any other day, she usually smiled and listened while she did her own thing; however tuning in to the lyrics sung made her realize it was not in english. charlotte made a face and glanced over at the backdoor, seeing doug’s silhouette pacing around the living room. must be a new way for them to practice their language lessons, she thought as she set her things in her sewing basket and closed the lid.  
entering the house and placed her basket in its proper spot near the fireplace, she watched doug for a moment longer before hearing them trip up on their words.

“dammit,” cursed doug, as they paused the intense song that poured out of the bluetooth speaker. “i can never pronounce that word right.”  
“why the sudden stress to continue your russian, dear?” asked charlotte, as she walked up to them and ran her hands lightly on their shoulder from behind. she could feel the tension, making her frown for a moment. she knew they’ve been taking a few days in the week to pick up russian as their father was from the country, and they thought it would be beneficial to learn the language - today was not a part of the schedule with this, which was why she is a bit lost.  
she rubbed her thumbs against them as she watched their mouth open and close in attempt to find their words.

“my parents, they are in town and didn’t tell me until an hour ago that for their last night they wanted to visit. there’s… a few problems with this.” they tried to explain to the best of their ability, leaning slightly into their wife’s touch.  
the problems didn’t need to be said out loud, charlotte already knew what they were; their father, being able to speak english, would prefer to use his native tongue since it was easier on him. their mother was able to speak both, fluent in english mainly, though her issue was how quick she was in getting into their personal business. both of them never believed their child would keep their nonbinary identity, along with their attraction to women. a phase, they’d call it. lastly, they were not invited to the wedding - which means they have no idea who charlotte is.

“oh. well, is there anything you need me to help with?”  
“i need you to hide our rings somewhere in the bedroom.”  
out of all things, she did not expect them to say that. charlotte understood where they were coming from, wanting to protect both of them from hateful comments, though it disappointed her they couldn’t even have the symbol of their love on. she felt doug pull away from her touch and turn around before handing her their ring; “your little chest i made you? i think that’ll be a good spot.”  
“where my clip-on earrings are? doug, do we have to?” asked charlotte, in hopes they’d reconsider as she took their ring. there wasn’t a response, only a worried expression. she slid her own ring off with a sigh and nod, shuffling her way through the kitchen and hallway to their bedroom.

shit, they share a room and a bed. she clicked her tongue a few times as she put away their rings; she’ll have to introduce herself as a roommate, pretending she stays in one of the guest rooms. charlotte sucked in a breath through her teeth, not too happy with the sudden wave of lies and falsehood happening tonight.  
whatever keeps the couple safe then it shouldn’t bother her so much, right? she already had her own parents be confused at the wedding, not grasping the concept she was bisexual and that 'doug' wasn’t just a male-given name. her mom was more understanding after some time, in a way, still working on getting her dad comfortable with it - stereotypical christians, she wished he wasn’t one.  
during that, doug was patient, and this situation meant she needed to return the favor.

charlotte returned to their side and saw they were aggressively tapping their foot and staring down at their phone. just from being anxious made her nervous for the future events. she ran her arms around one of theirs, and rested her cheek against their shoulder in hopes to calm them.  
“it’ll be okay, we have time to get ready! when are they coming? i can get some snacks out and prepare to welcome them. you know, as some roommates do,” said charlotte, as she kept a close eye on her spouse. they were biting their bottom lip while she spoke.  
“ten minutes. their hotel is close. charlotte, i’m scared- i don’t know what they’re going to ask, what they’ll say,” replied doug, as they put their phone in sleep mode and shoved it in their pocket. they turned their head to look down at her when she grabbed their hand.

“don’t worry, we will get through this together. dinner is soon, anyway, we can politely kick them out afterwards if they haven’t been respectful to you during their stay here.” she reassured, pecking their shoulder a few times afterwards, her words sincere. doug stared at her for some odd number of seconds then gave in with a nod, a sigh slipping as they leaned against her slightly.  
“thank you, you really are too good to me, honeybee.” they pressed a kiss on the top of her head, the affection an easy way to chop their stress in half - the power of simple gestures, it amazed them how well charlotte can make them feel just a bit better. they always knew they were lucky to have someone like her, but god if tonight didn’t confirm this fact they didn’t know what will.

the moment was ruined when the doorbell rang and echoed through the house, the freaked out feeling running through both doug and charlotte as they jumped off each other. she urged them to go alone just in case their parents got suspicious of them, which they agreed to in reluctance; they stepped out of the kitchen and into the dining room, heading straight to the front door.  
as soon as it was opened, they were greeted with the ghostly faces of their parents, neither of them sparing a smile. their father, todd, had noticeable bags displayed under his bright yet tired eyes; his sharp jawline was shaded with peach fuzz, making its way down to his defined chin. his hair was going through the awkward phase after being completely shaved off. he wore a simple dark gray shirt with jeans, his tattoos scattering around his biceps and forearms.

their mother, penelope, appeared tired as well; her eyes the same shade of blue, her delicate face only painted with mascara and pink lipstick to clash with her pale skin. her face wasn’t as sharp as todd’s, though she had cheekbones that could cut like a blade. her hair was more than obviously dyed a brick red color, and pulled up into a braid that rested in front of her left shoulder. she wore a black v-neck and skinny jeans, almost complementing her husband in a way.  
just their presence made doug shiver with discomfort - it had been quite some time since they saw their parents, the duo only had subtle changes in their appearance while they had quite the style swap (in every way possible).

“mom, welcome to my home.” they greeted her first with a nod then said the same to their dad but in russian, sneaking in fast they were able to speak it to some degree. this was rewarded with a silent, approving nod from him; their mom finally smiled and thanked them for letting them stop by.  
after the two were invited inside and they took a moment to observe the dining room, doug spoke up; “uh, my roommate is going to be cooking soon!” they forced a smile then walked to the kitchen, beginning to gesture towards charlotte, who was holding one of the cats to try and mentally prepare herself. she wasn’t expecting them to look so… intimidating. well, now she knows her spouse inherited that trait from both parents. doug said something that she wasn’t sure of to their father, making her awkwardly grin.

charlotte set fisher down then held out a hand. “hi, i’m charlotte, you must be-”  
“daisy’s parents, yes,” interrupted penelope, as she grabbed her hand and shook it. “she never told us she had a roommate. it’s nice to meet you.”  
“mhm,” hummed todd, as he shook her hand afterwards, then dropped his arm back to his side stiffly. oh, something about this was wrong - very wrong. her parents never asked for doug’s name before they legally changed it, they didn’t even use the incorrect pronouns. charlotte chewed the inside of her cheek for a moment then let out an airy laugh, she didn’t know what to do. she did not have the heart to make doug uncomfortable, but again it must be for safety reasons.

“uh, right! you know what?” she pointed at them for a quick second. “you should show them around the house while i heat up the dinner, i’ll catch up when it’s done.” this would give her a chance to adjust to the tone change, and give doug a moment to speak with their dad without having to translate if todd didn’t know certain words she said. doug quickly nodded then pointed their thumb towards the living room, and said a phrase she could only assume was telling the two to follow them.  
charlotte watched the trio head out then held a hand to her chest. this isn’t how she wanted her free day off to go, not at all.

-

“and this was a cat sweater knitted by my roommate, she has a lot of talent,” said doug, as they were showing off random items in their house that had meaning. the group was currently in the guest bedroom, mainly because the couple had to lie about their rooms being separated and charlotte was able to do some last minute decorating. it looked staged no doubt, but the parents were buying it thus far.  
“wow, sweetie, you two must be such good friends! you carve her things, she sews clothes for you. it’s amazing how no man has snatched either of you yet,” said penelope, as she squeezed todd’s hand as she spoke. ugh, that line. it irked doug to the core. they simply ignored it and set the sweater back down on the unoccupied dresser in the room, and glanced over at charlotte, who was playing with the cuffs of her sleeves.

what else was there to do? neither todd nor penelope have attempted to talk to her, so sitting in the back observing was best, right? charlotte followed behind them when they left to the master room only two feet away; it was way more packed into it as the married couple are supposed to be living in it together, and it was easy to see the confusion on todd’s face when he noticed the difference.  
“you just moved here?” he turned towards her, this question having no other context but what she guessed was from the lack of personal items in the other area. she didn’t think his voice could be scarier in english, but it was with the accent and persona he expressed. charlotte only gave a weak yes before doug started to talk over her.

“last month she did. yeah, still waiting on getting settled. all her stuff is in the basement.” they waved a hand in dismissal then let out a stressful laugh. god, it hurt to see them have so much pressure piled onto their shoulders - this would be over soon. charlotte noticed todd was still trying to talk to her, which made her zone in and answer his questions or statements that she was able to understand. whenever he blanked out on a word in english, he’d turn to doug and say it in russian, then they’d have to buffer for a moment and guess what it was; their mom soon after stating it bluntly as she explored the room.  
she thought it was a fun little game despite it not intending to be a game in the first place. it helped relax her nerves, that’s for sure, until she heard a soft gasp from the other side of the room.

“daisy, dear… where on earth did you get these?” asked penelope. she had snooped into charlotte’s earring chest and found the wedding rings - these now being held up by her in the light to see if they were authentic. that’s when all the color on doug’s face drained, they were speechless. they hadn’t a clue what to reply with. todd walked over and took the rings quite aggressively from his wife, who said ‘hey’ in offense.  
the way the room fell into such a silence that could have similar energy to a teenager walking in on their parents discovering secret ‘substances’ hidden in their room. the parents would ask where the kid got it from, the kid would say they were holding it for a friend, then an argument breaks out. this was all that raced in charlotte’s head as she held her breath and watched todd look between the two. it was going so well, too.

todd clenched his jaw and held up their ring in front of doug’s face. “you’re married? to who?” he asked in a threatening tone, angered he was lied to. they just stared at him, their breathing becoming shaky as that not-so-good adrenaline ran through their veins. they were getting a headache just by standing there.  
“imagine that, our own daughter lying to us about being single!” penelope cried bloody murder as she held her head, apparently heartbroken from the miscommunication. todd was growing impatient then whipped his head towards charlotte, who jumped in surprise by the sudden movement.

“are you her wife? are you married to my daisy?” he had a menacing look, it reminded her of sam. she wanted to cry, she didn’t know who daisy was. she wanted to say no and that she was married to doug, continue making it worse for them. she went to speak and yet, once more, was cut off by her partner.  
“it's doug.” they said, hands balled into fits and that face full of fear replaced with frustration; “it was legally changed to doug.”  
“oh no, not this again! you’re better than this, angel, please tell me you aren’t still insisting on this fake ‘they’ life!” their mom stood next to her husband, gripping onto his arm and watching her child. this was something charlotte shouldn’t be witnessing, this wasn’t her fight, and still she went to their side when she noticed their mom was supporting todd. she calmly took both of the rings back and slipped hers on, repeating the process with doug’s; she can feel the hateful glares cutting into her without seeing it herself.

time stopped itself, lyon hid himself, everything was still. everybody in the room was aware that their lives were crumbling - at least for penelope and todd, as they began to realize that their child was never going to drop their “phase”. they had to face reality, the reality doug was in love with a lady and had no connections to their womanhood. no desire to connect to it. but with this being present, this didn’t stop todd from putting a foot down and breaking the atmosphere with his yelling.  
fortunately for charlotte, she didn’t understand any word she heard; unfortunately, she started to sob from the sudden loud screaming. doug was arguing back and had stood in front of her as if they had to make sure nothing would happen to her during this - she didn’t know if that was reassuring or not. being protected, yes, but their spouse being hurt by their dad? not at all.  
penelope joined in, her voice shrill and broken, her own crying happening as she was facing despair of her ‘dead daughter’. screaming in and out of the languages, mentioning how they were a disgrace to their grandma they (used to) share a name with. charlotte wasn’t sure if this grandma was the one that accepted them for who they are, but either way, it made doug shout back with more power.  
this was their home, their safe space, their life. they were not going to let their wonderful time be ruined by their parents anymore. they had the upper-ground, they were the alpha in this unknown place to penelope and todd, and they made sure to make this completely clear.

“please, for the love of god, leave. fucking leave, and never try coming here again. don’t even try to get into contact with me or i’ll call the police.” this threat is weak to charlotte, knowing the cops in town were dirt bags, though this got under their parents’ skin. the duo didn’t refuse nor did they question it, it was like they rather drop their only kid and pretend they never existed than simply accept them with loving arms.  
the final minutes of walking penelope and todd made her nauseous, staying back in the hallway as doug practically shoo’ed the two out the front door. she heard something be muttered from one of the parents, resulting in them slamming the door and locking both latches. they stood there, facing away, silent.

then the choppy breathing came.  
charlotte was quick to go to them and place a hand on their shoulder, softly asking if they wanted to go sit down and take a breather, perhaps drink some water. she didn’t expect an immediate answer, she didn’t even expect them to pull her in a tight embrace and sob into her. she held them and kissed their head over and over again, listening to the bottled up emotions spill over finally.  
she doesn’t know entirely how it feels to not be accepted by family, personally, but she can get an idea from how terrible tonight went. she didn’t know how to comfort someone who struggles with it, but this was good enough to doug.

after they calmed down greatly, doug pulled away and ran their hands over their face, heaving out a sigh. “that was a miserable time, i’m so sorry.”  
“i should be apologizing, for you to deal with… that for so many years. here, come on, let’s get you some water or tea and we can watch a movie, and talk through it if you need.”  
“honestly? i just want to shower and head to bed.” they kept their gaze down at their hands, touching her soft palms to distract the second wave of tears. charlotte crouched down just the slightest to get in their line of sight.

“how about we shower, eat a small dinner, then sleep? we can cuddle in spite of the two we shall never speak of outloud ever again.” she offered, smiling when she heard them let out a quiet chuckle. good.  
“deal, i can’t wait. uhm, please forget what you heard, about my name and everything.”  
“your name? i’m sorry but i’m pretty sure your name is doug, and it has always been doug. i do not know what you are talking about.”  
“oh, you’re such a doof,” said doug and gave her hands a light squeeze, signaling they wanted to start walking to the bathroom.

and then life went on. they would never get any sort of call, message, email, or letter from their parents. they were completely cut from their lives, and they couldn’t be more than happy for that fact. they are still coming home to a wife and four cats, and one opossum that was new to the family, and all was well in the fitzgerald household.


End file.
